C' Series
by Karu Leonnese
Summary: Part TwoCaution: In which we come across a raosty toasty Black Mage, and one rather uncomfortable monkey. [Fluff, part two in collection]
1. Crowd: You're Not the One

Crowd

By Karu Leonnese

Notes: My first attempt at a FFIX ficceh, and yet another BOATS (Based On A True Story). Figures I'd have to fall in love with the oddest pairing I can find. So we begin a collection of ficlets, the 'C' Series. All based on a few choice song lyrics and a rather unconventional couple -mutters- tho not in doujin… -coughs- Anyway, a little bit of one-sided fluff in this one, completely harmless, but rated 13 just cuz I don't rate anything lower. Long story.

Oh, and if anyone else has something on this couple, don't hesitate to contact meh. Meh and my Vivi plushie (homemade!) Will love you forever!

This ficlet's song is 'If You're Not the One' by Daniel Bedingfield, and it's in Vivi's POV.

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_I don't wanna run away_

_but I can't take it , I don't understand_

_if I'm not made for you then_

_why does my heart tell me that I am?_

I think it was about mid-evening when I started feeling bad. It's kind of hard to explain, like someone hit me real hard in the stomach. No doubt I'd taken my share of hits that day, but it wasn't quite the same. It had been a long day, with random monster attacks and Zidane and Garnet being all…weird. Nothing really out of the ordinary, so I didn't know what was causing it. Like I said, it's hard to explain.

All I could think of at the time was to go to bed early. At least if I was asleep, I couldn't feel my insides twisting. I walked into the room only to realize immediately that I wasn't alone. Being the small village that it was, the inn only had one available room for us, so the whole party was sharing. On one of the four beds in the room, Zidane and Garnet—I never really got the idea to call her Dagger. I suppose it just never came up with me, seeing as though I never called her by name anyway—were lounging. The princess had found some sort of book lying around and was leafing through it. Zidane, however, was merely staring blankly at the wall, chin resting on his fists and tail swishing idly.

"Hey Vivi…" his gaze flickered to me momentarily, before returning to whatever was so interesting about the wall. I waved a greeting before laying a bit unceremoniously on the bed furthest from the two.

Garnet paused her reading to look at me. "Are you okay?"

"'M fine," I muttered, laying on my back. Apparently whatever was on the wall was on the ceiling as well, because I found myself staring at it. "Sleepy…"

She seemed to want to say something else, but decided against it. An unknown amount of time passed where none of us said anything. After awhile I guess they thought I was asleep.

"Hey Dagger…" Zidane spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"Whatcha reading?"

She looked up. "It's a book on the importance of education among leaders of society. I found it on the shelf and thought it would pass the time."

"Can I see it?"

I guess Garnet either didn't hear the tone Zidane had in his voice, or she hadn't been around him long enough to know it. The tone that meant he was talking while smirking, which meant he was up to something. I found this odd, because we'd all known each other the same amount of time. Why did I know this and she didn't?

Either way, she handed him the book without a second thought. And Zidane, without a second thought, tossed the book across the room. It landed near the door, which was only a couple of feet from where I was laying.

"Zidane!" Garnet admonished, crossing her arms.

"What?" He grinned as innocently as he could, which wasn't very convincing.

"For one thing, you shouldn't treat books that way. They're important pieces of history that should be cared for. And secondly, you should be more careful. You almost hit Vivi."

I closed my eyes before the pair looked my way. I don't know why, but I wanted to hear them talk.

"Whoops. Sorry Vivi."

"He's asleep. I think you're working him too hard. He always looks so tired."

"That's not tired. At least not physically. He's thinking a lot harder than he should be. It wears him out. Not that I blame him."

"That's awfully philosophical of you," Garnet was impressed.

I was a bit surprised as well. Zidane was the first to understand anything about me. While I admit, walking around all day battling monsters isn't exactly something I'm used to, I'd been doing a lot of thinking lately, and feeling more and more tired as a result.

Zidane shrugged, flushing a bit under the scrutiny. "Well, y'know. I'm trying to look out for him. But I can't stop him from thinking, can I?"

"I suppose not…" Garnet trailed off, her anger at the blond disappearing.

My insides twisted again. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to move. After a moment it passed. I was beginning to worry. Though for some reason, the thought that Zidane was watching out for me made me happy.

"Zidane…?" The princess spoke up again.

"Yeah?"

"Why exactly did you throw my book?"

He grinned again. "Because it was distracting you."

She tilted her head curiously. "Distracting? From what?"

"From me!"

With a long-suffering sigh, the princess shook her head. "Attention starved, are we?"

"Of course!"

"What exactly am I to do with you?" She muttered a bit indignantly.

Zidane sat up cross-legged on the bed. His grin grew wider, if that was possible. "As long as it doesn't involve murder I'm pretty much up for anything."

The statement resulted in a laugh from Garnet. I was being ignored. Of course, that was a bit expected, since I'd led them to believe I was asleep. But it was interesting to hear them talk about me. What they really thought when they weren't just saying things to make me feel better.

For some reason, this made my stomach feel better. I considered actually going to sleep, or maybe even going back outside to look around. My thoughts were interrupted by a surprised high-pitched squeal. Garnet's face flushed bright pink, and she turned on Zidane.

"Don't DO that!" she hissed.

Zidane looked a bit confused. "Do what?"

"Your tail just brushed across my shoulder."

Zidane smirked. "Really? Why, are you ticklish or something?"

He moved toward her and she backed up an equal distance. "Zidane, don't. I'm warning you…"

"I consider myself warned," he replied, before jumping on her. She squealed again, trying uselessly to squirm away.

The pain returned, along with a feeling of annoyance. Were they always this loud while I was asleep? Was I that heavy a sleeper? What else could they get away with me not hearing?

Err…forget I thought that.

Zidane was laughing so hard he was having trouble breathing. Garnet was squealing and laughing at the same time, still trying to wiggle her way out of the situation. She flailed her arms around, trying to push the monkey off her. She finally succeeded in knocking him in the head, causing him to fall back. Unfortunately for him, this resulted in him falling entirely off the bed. He crashed to the floor with a bang.

Garnet gasped, immediately leaning over to check on him. "Are you okay?"

Zidane rubbed the sore spot on his hip where the majority of the fall had been absorbed. "That wasn't fun."

"Well, I did warn you."

He stuck his tongue out at her. "You suck."

She laughed again. Zidane stood, brushing himself off. He didn't move for a moment, just still in place, looking around the room.

"What're you doing now?" Garnet asked suspiciously. Finally, she had the right idea. Zidane was in one of his moods where he liked to mess with people.

The monkey shrugged. "Nothing in particular…"

"Then why are you just standing there?"

Arms clasped behind his back, he leaned over until he was inches from her face. He smiled sweetly. "Why princess, are you accusing me of being up to something?"

Yes.

"Maybe I am," she replied. "But I do have past records to back me up."

"Yeah?"

The twisting feeling came back. For some reason, I knew exactly what was going to happen next. I sat up suddenly, hoping he'd see me and stop. But I was too late, and only managed to have a great view as Zidane leaned in and kissed Garnet.

It felt like my entire stomach had just sank to my legs. I couldn't stand it anymore. Almost falling off the bed myself, I got to my feet and ran out the door.

Behind me, I heard Garnet gasp. Then Zidane muttered a curse.

I was too far gone to pay attention to them anymore. I managed to get outside the inn before I tripped as usual. I didn't get up. I just lay there on the stone sidewalk, cringing as my stomach flipped around like an acrobat circus.

"Vivi?" Zidane's head popped out of the doorway, looking around. He saw me on the ground. "Oh Vivi…"

I didn't want to talk to him. My stomach hurt too much.

He walked over to where I was and pulled me up. With a sigh, I fixed my hat, sitting down instead. Zidane sat down next to me.

"You okay?"

Was I? I didn't feel okay. I felt like my insides were trying to become my outsides. It wasn't a good feeling at all. "…Hurts."

He leaned down worriedly. "What? Where? Are you hurt somewhere?"

I shook my head, my gloved hands clamped around my middle. "My stomach hurts. Like it's doing flips. It's been doing it all day."

Zidane was quiet for a moment. Then, hesitantly, he asked, "Does this have anything to do with me and Dagger?"

I knew he meant what had gone on in the room. I tilted my head, thinking. "It made it hurt worse. So I came out here."

The blond let out a sigh of his own. "I'm sorry."

I was taken aback. "For what?"

He smiled wryly. "I'm pretty sure I know why your stomach hurts. And if I'm right, I'll bet it's my fault."

I didn't understand what he meant. "What are you talking about? How could it be your fault?"

"I'll explain it to you later. For right now, the most important thing is getting you cured. There's only one way to cure this, and that's to sleep."

I looked up at him. "But…I don't think I can sleep with my stomach hurting like this."

"Well, I'll help. It's a magic spell, so you have to lay on me."

I'd never heard of this kind of spell before. But Zidane obviously knew what he was doing, so I let my head lean on his shoulder.

"Okay, now I'm going to finish the spell, and your stomach should feel better. You ready?"

I nodded, closing my eyes. Then he wrapped his arms around me. I turned and looked at him quickly, but he just grinned at me.

"This is how the spell works, okay? Does it feel better?"

Blinking a few times, I found that it did. While there was still some traces of the awful feeling, it was slowly being replaced with a warm, comforting feeling. I closed my eyes again, snuggling up to him. "Yeah."

He rested his chin on my head, not letting go. He started rocking us back and forth slowly. "Good. You just go to sleep, okay? You'll feel better tomorrow. And if not, I'll just have to do this again."

I stifled a yawn, smiling at him. "Thanks."

"No problem."

He might have said something else, but I didn't hear it. I woke up the next morning in my bed. I sat up, looking around. Garnet and Zidane were still asleep, Garnet in the bed she had been reading on, and Zidane in the bed across from mine.

He was right. My stomach did feel better.

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Notes: Whee! Everyone's either going to love this or burn meh alive! -grins- Don't worry, I'm not up for all THAT, it's just a little cute stuff. I wouldn't pull all Zidane's tricks on the poor little guy. This just proves that he's still too gullible. But he's so cute! -spazzes, hugging her Vivi plushie- Anyway, comments of any kind are appreciated, including constructive criticism. I'm only on disc 2, so I might screw some things up. Next up is Zidane's POV!


	2. Caution: Falling

Chapter Two: Caution-Falling

A/N: I decided to do this in chappeh format instead of a collection. Really, I've been banned too many times already for someone to go whining that this should beh chappehs instead. It's the ARTIST'S RIGHT to decide. -fumes- Anyway, if anyone's actually reading this, then welcome to part two! This time we delve into the deep mind of our favourite perverse monkey! Or not.

Today's song lyrics are from 'Falling' by The Rasmus—and it's not in the same timeline as Crowd.

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_I need a flame, I need a spark_

_don't be afraid to open my heart_

_I need a game, I need a shock_

_don't be afraid, my heart is unlocked_

_But I keep on falling…_

I had been keeping track for the past few days. Nineteen. That's how many fights we'd gotten into since we'd left the last town. And it was really starting to get on my nerves.

Steal, Heal, Black Magic. I wasn't annoyed because it was difficult. I was annoyed because it was repetitive. Between the three of us, the fight was over before it even began. Sure, Dagger and Vivi were toughening up with all the training—I personally didn't need it, I can kick enough ass already—and we were scoring some good stuff from my 'treasure hunting' skills 1, but after two days of this, I was ready to scream.

Finally the town came into view. "Could that have taken any longer?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well, it could have…but I suppose one of us would have to be passed out and the others dragging them," Vivi responded in what I could only hope was a joke from him.

"At least we're here," Dagger sighed. She was tired, using her weapon as a walking stick.

Hell, we were all tired. It was dangerous, wandering through the monster-infested land when you weren't at top condition.

Unfortunately, the monsters seemed to be learning this as well. We were about five yards from the town when these two things ambushed us. They were a hell of a lot harder than the Goblins we'd been fighting. Weird Sphinx things with scorpion tails. I decided it'd be better to make a run for it.

"Let's get to town!"

All three of us took off in a run. The creatures followed, intent on their prey. I heard a small yell and looked back. Vivi had tripped!

"Keep going!" I yelled to Dagger, and reversed. I managed to get to Vivi before the monsters did, but there wasn't enough time for us to run away again.

Vivi cast Fira on them, getting to his feet. I took one out with my blade. The remaining one, weakened by the magic, decided to make a last ditch effort. He charged, slamming violently into Vivi. The Mage toppled off the small bridge that held the town over the cliff and fell.

"SHIT!" Before I could think, I was running again, leaping off the cliff as well. I stiffened, allowing myself to fall faster until I caught up with him. I grabbed him, wrapping my arms around him and shielding him.

The impact hurt like hell. I heard something crack and felt a sharp wave of pain on my right side.

"ZIDANE!"

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I woke up disoriented. I was laying on my back in the dust, looking up from the bottom of a ravine. I blinked a few times, and then Vivi was in my vision, looking down at me with concern.

"Are you okay?"

I put a hand to my forehead. "Mm, I think so…what about you?"

The little Mage looked away. "I'm fine."

"That's good," I tried to sit up, but the sharp pain in my right shoulder made me recoil. "Argh…"

Vivi looked back at me, concern visible in his glowing eyes. "Does it hurt?"

"Like a bitch," I muttered before catching myself. Vivi looked down again, tugging at the hem of his jacket. I winced. "Hey, I've had worse before!"

"I'm sorry…if I hadn't tripped, we wouldn't be in this. And if I hadn't fallen, you wouldn't have had to save me…"

I finished sitting up slowly, trying to hide how much it actually hurt. "Just forget about it, Viv. We need to think about how to get back up there."

"Dagger said she was getting help from the villagers," he still sounded sad.

I nodded. "Okay then. All we have to do is wait until they come."

Vivi helped me position myself, leaning my back against the cliff wall. "You can sleep if you want to. I don't mind. Or are you not supposed to go to sleep if you're injured? Or is that a concussion?"

I shrugged, forgetting what I was doing. I hissed. "Ah, don't worry. We've gotta keep watch, in case something thinks we're an easy target."

I must have fallen asleep anyway, because the next thing I knew, I was waking up again. Vivi was sitting beside me, staring in front of him. He looked odd, like something was missing.

His sleeves. The sleeves of his jacket had been torn off. Then I noticed something was around my neck. Looking down, I saw the sleeves. He'd made them into a sling for my arm.

"You didn't have to do that," I said softly. My throat felt really dry.

"I figured it would help…" he sounded really tired.

"Sorry to leave you like that. How long had it been?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe an hour or so. Do you feel any better?"

I tried to stretch as best as I could. "Yeah, a little," I wiggled my arm the tiniest bit. "This thing makes it a lot easier to move. Thanks."

"You're welcome," he smiled a bit. I sighed in relief.

"So what do you suppose Dagger's doing right now?" I mused, trying to change the subject.

"I don't know…" Vivi deadpanned. Obviously, he wasn't going to make this any easier.

"This really isn't your fault, Vivi, I mean that. I don't blame you for anything, okay?"

He shrugged. "It really doesn't matter. But thank you anyway."

I sighed. "I'm serious. Are you okay? You look really tired."

He shook his head. "I'm not sure. I think…I feel a little drained. And…my arms hurt."

I looked over, examining the arm closest to me. It didn't look any different. I couldn't see any blood or scratches or anything. "Did you hurt yourself in the fall?"

"No…they just started hurting while you were asleep."

I didn't really have time to ponder this, however, because right after that a voice called from above. "Hey, are you two alright down there?" Dagger asked. I looked up. "Yeah, we're just having a field trip," I yelled back, "What do YOU think?"

"The villagers are going to come down there and pull you up on a rope, okay?

Beside me, Vivi stifled a yawn.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. "Just hurry it up, willya?"

It took about half an hour to get us both up. There was a little stretcher waiting at the top, and I was carried to town in it…despite all my protests. Once we got inside the safety of the village, the REAL trouble started.

I really hate doctors. Never liked them, never will. Just give me a good Cura spell and I'll be fine. But apparently I had a dislocated shoulder from the fall, and that doesn't just pop itself back into place. So the doctor, this squat little dwarf who looked about as gentle as a hurricane, braces one hand on the bed I was on, and grabbed my arm with the other one. I've got enough time to bite my bottom lip before he twists it, resulting in a very loud pop from my right side, and an even louder scream from me.

"I-Is he okay?" Vivi squeaked from my side, yellow eyes wide. Shit, I hadn't known he was there.

"'E'll be fin', lad," the dwarf waved me off with a hand, cast a Cura spell on me and wrapped my arm in white bandages. Then he left. So much for doctor/patient relationships…

"You don't look okay…" Vivi said softly, looking up at me.

I finally managed to unclench my teeth. "I'll be okay," I looked at his sleeves, discarded on the bed beside me after the doctor had taken them off. "C'mere, I'll sew your sleeves back on."

He blinked a few times, before relenting. He climbed up the bed and sat beside me with his legs crossed. From the pouch on my side—that thankfully, none of my 'rescuers' had decided to go through—I took out a small sewing kit I always carry for emergencies.

I held out one of Vivi's arms straight, inspecting it. "Do your arms still hurt?"

He nodded. "It's kind of like a…burning feeling. Like they're on fire."

I almost laughed. "Poor Vivi…you've got sunburn. I'm guessing Black Mage skin is a lot more sensitive to the sun. That's probably why you all wear so much clothing."

"So, it's not s-serious?"

"Nah, you'll be fine. It'll hurt for a day or two, but it'll pass," I took one of the sleeves from beside me, slipping it over his arm and putting the two torn ends together. "Just don't let anyone touch it. Or hit it. Then you're in a world of hurt."

"O-okay," he sounded a little relieved. I threaded the needle and began sewing, holding his arm up with my injured arm. He looked at the situation. "Doesn't that hurt?"

I followed his gaze. "Oh, not really. The Cura took away most of the pain. I should be able to go by tomorrow."

Vivi sat still, holding his arm rigidly straight. "I-I'm glad…"

I stopped, holding the needle in the air. "Hey Viv, you're not still feeling bad about that, are you?"

"M-maybe…"

I set the needle down with a sigh. Vivi relaxed his arm, not meeting my gaze. "Look, none of this was you're fault, okay? No one's seriously hurt, so there's nothing to worry about. Hell, I think YOU got hurt worse than I did in the long run."

"What do you mean?"

I smiled sympathetically at him. "You've never had a sunburn before, have you?"

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When I woke up again, it was really dark. Like the time of night right before dawn starts. I didn't remember going to sleep, but I hadn't exactly been so stellar in that category lately.

I looked around. The needle and thread were on the night stand. That was good. At least I didn't fall asleep with that in my bed. So I must've finished sewing up Vivi's jacket.

It was then that I noticed something heavy pressing against me. At first, I thought it was a thick blanket or something. But then it moved.

Beside me, Vivi was asleep, curled into a ball. I sat up slowly, trying not to wake him up. He stirred, but settled back into sleep. His hat was askew, moved from laying on it. He only had one sleeve.

"Guess I didn't finish…" I muttered to no one in particular.

I vaguely wondered how late it was. I should probably go back to sleep. We'd be leaving tomorrow, and I didn't want to hold everyone up. But I guess sleeping so much during the day had caught up with me, because I just laid back and stared at the ceiling. My eyes didn't want to close, and my brain didn't want to shut down.

Beside me, Vivi squirmed a little, burying his face into my side. I wondered what he was dreaming. I sat up again. Obviously I wasn't going back to sleep for awhile. The room was eerily quiet, and there was a constant hum in my ears.

Vivi's arm was draped across me. The one with no sleeve. The inky black contrasted with the white bedsheets. Suddenly curious, I touched it gently. Normally when I had a sunburn, my skin would be really hot. But Vivi's was cool, smooth and left a faint trace of energy. It felt like a Thundara, or static. Blinking, I wrapped my entire hand around his arm, careful not to hurt the burned skin.

I guess Black Mages are filled with so much magic power that it resonates off their skin or something. Whatever it was, I was transfixed by it. So much so that I didn't even notice one glowing yellow eye slitted open.

"Zidane?"

I jumped in surprise. I yanked my hand back a little too quickly, and Vivi made a small noise of pain.

"Oh shit, Vivi, I'm sorry!"

He shook his head slowly, still not fully awake. "I guess this is what you were talking about, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"You fell asleep while you were sewing. I put up the needle and didn't want to move so I wouldn't wake you up. I hope you don't mind."

"No problem. We should get back to sleep though. We're gonna have to leave early."

Vivi nodded, settling back down. I wrapped an arm around him. Surprised, he laid on it, his head resting on the crook of my shoulder.

"Hey Zidane?"

"Hmmm?" With him laying against me, I was starting to fall into sleep.

"How long does a sunburn last again?"

I laughed a bit.

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1 Yes, I just made the Zidane/ Locke comparison. So there.

Karu: Wow. That was harder to write than I thought. I guess Zidane's POV is more complicated than I thought. And Viv wanted to be all angsty. Blarg. Well, that's it for this one. The next one is from Garnet's POV. -gasp-

Gargant Surprise: Thankehs for commenting, even on LJ! -grins- it's really good to know I did a decent job with Vivi. Hope you like Fighting Spirit! XD

Sky Lionhart: Thankehs so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Really? I awlys thought people liked longer stories better? -shrugs- Maybeh that's just meh?

Next time!


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